27 June 2009

Dear Perdita: Calm Down

Spotted this morning on athletics.ca (a site I'm frequenting this weekend as Curtis, Megan, Stefanie, Ryan and a few other friends compete at the Canadian Track & Field Championships in Toronto): "Dear Nike: Perdita Wants Her Money Back".

It's a kind of pointless article about Perdita Felicien, a Canadian hurdler and World Championship silver medallist, who is sponsored by (my old sponsor!) Nike. Whilst in Chicago recently, she visited the Nike store there and paid (!!!) for a t-shirt, on the understanding that she would be reimbursed. First of all, that's kind of lame, don't you get enough t-shirts when you're sponsored by Nike? I know I did - I still have a couple as yet unworn. Anyway, said t-shirt was $34 USD and carries the slogan "training is the opposite of hoping". During the press conference at which Perdita was wearing the t-shirt, she was asked what it meant to her.

Rather than elaborating on the question asked, she instead went off on what sounded like a tirade because she had not yet been reimbursed. $34. Come on, man. If the $34 was so precious to you, you should have just left it on the rack in the store. OR, rather than buying it, requested it from the company. Which is how I have two unworn pairs of Nike Frees at home...

Anyway, shouldn't she just shut up and hurdle? Who cares about $34? There are worse off people in the world.